Just un peu Too Late
by Rori Potter
Summary: Nobody appears as they really are so when the dark mark appears over Hermione's house she realizes that her world crashed down long ago and she didn't know it.
1. In A Moment's Notice

**Rating:** K

**Category:** Harry Potter

**Pairings:** Lily/James, Hermione/Harry, Ginny/Neville, and Lavender/ Ron.

**Warnings: **Completely AU.

**Summary: **Nobody appears as they really are so when the dark mark appears over Hermione's house she realizes that her world crashed down long ago and she didn't know it.

**Credits:** To J.K. Rowling for writing the books in the first place.

*Un peu means a little

Just _un peu_ to late

Chapter 1

In a moments notice

Still as a freshly dried cement block Hermione stood outside of her house. Hovering over her house was the Dark Mark which was laughing at her. Hermione shivered and braced herself for the inevitable. Hermione walked into the house and began at the front. The living room had books thrown about with the wall covered in scorch marks from curses and hexes that had missed their marks. The table was on its side with a few marks of its own.

The study was in worse shape. The desk was turned over and it looked like it had been burned most of the way. The papers that were once on the table were scattered around the room. A few were hung up on the ceiling with what looked like a sticking charm. The ceiling fan was crumpled and laying downtrodden next to the door of the study. Candles of various colors were in pieces next to the fire. Hermione carefully headed down to her parents room. She was shocked to find her parents lying on their bed reading books.

She let her jaw drop at their calmness. It was then she noticed the Aurors coming in waves. It seemed like each Auror had a dark wizard floating behind them in a full body bind. When the last death eater was gone the Aurors left and Hermione was left staring at her parents in disbelief.

"What in the world is going on," Hermione asked her parents. They peered at her over the tops of their books. Her mother sighed and patted the part of their bed that was empty. Hermione took the spot that she had sat in for as long as she could remember.

"Honey, we aren't David and Sara Granger," Her mother said. "We were friends with them because I grew up with Sara but we are not them." Hermione backed up and pulled out her wand.

"If you aren't them then who are you," Hermione asked in a low voice. Her 'mother' looked over at her 'father' and nodded.

"We'll have to wait 10 minutes for that question to be answered," answered her 'father'. Hermione huffed but said no more. Her parents went back to reading the books in their hands. Not much later Hermione was getting bored and was about to ask for a book while they waited for the surprise when she noticed that the surprise had already started.

Her 'mothers' hair went from long brown and curly to red straight hair. Her eyes changed from mud brown to a shocking green. Her 'fathers' hair had changed from blonde to black. His eyes changed from black to a hazel like color.

As she stared at the people she had been calling parents for years something clicked in her mind, a distant memory of a picture from Harry's photo album. She realized that people she was staring at in shock were not her parents but Harry's parents.

"James and Lily Potter," muttered Hermione of her parents. She then looked up to see the very people she was talking about staring at her. "If you are here then where are my parents?" Lily and James exchanged looks.

"Your parents died the night we were supposed to have died," Lily admitted guilty looking. "We had transfigured themselves to look like ourselves. Both of them played there parts well."

"I thought my parents a-were Muggles," Hermione stated confused. Lily shook her head.

"Your mother was Muggleborn witch and your father was a pureblood," Lily answered. "Just like James and I. Your mother and I were next door neighbors." Hermione looked up so fast Lily thought that she had snapped something.

"She knew Professor Snape," Hermione realized. Lily nodded. James made a face and Lily nailed him in the stomach with her elbow. "Are-" Hermione was interrupted when an owl began pecking at the window. Lily opened the window and the owl flew over to Hermione and stuck out it's leg. Hermione took the letter from the owl and opened it up.

_Dear Miss. Granger, _

_It has come into my attention that your friend Mr. Potter was being abused by his Uncle in the effort to protect his Aunt from getting hurt. They are both currently residing at Hogwarts. Mr. Potter has requested that you come and see him tomorrow at 10 in the morning to give him an update on everything since he has not received any owls. If you agree to this time and need transportation please send a letter back with Bloom. _

_Severus Snape_

Hermione pulled paper and a pen towards herself and began writing a letter back.

_Dear Professor Snape,_

_I am grateful that you have informed on what has happened with Harry. It seems that he has become better at keeping things from us. I will comply with Harry's request of me being there at Hogwarts tomorrow at Hogwarts. I will not need transportation because I already have found some although I request that you met us at the gates at the appointed time. _

_Yours sincerely, Hermione Granger_

_

* * *

_"Why in the world did she say 'us'," Harry questioned when Severus handed him the letter. Severus let out a groan. He had not noticed that. He grabbed the offending letter and then realized that whoever was a part of we was magical because there was no other way for them to get themselves there if they were muggle.

"I think she has people coming with her that are of our world," Severus concluded handing the letter back to Harry. Harry gave his professor a puzzled look just before he turned his attention back to the letter. Realization dawned on Harry and he realized that the professor was right.

"Who do you think she is bringing with her," Harry asked puzzled. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about Harry's question.

"I think Granger will bring the most unexpected people with her," Severus answered. Harry gave him a confused look and then a thoughtful one.

"I guess we are going to have to expect the unexpected," Harry said amused. "Nothing unusual there."


	2. Expect the Unexpected

**Rating:** K

**Category:** Harry Potter

**Pairings:** Lily/James, Hermione/Harry, Ginny/Neville, and Lavender/ Ron.

**Warnings: **Completely AU.

**Summary: **Nobody appears as they really are so when the dark mark appears over Hermione's house she realizes that her world crashed down long ago and she didn't know it.

**Credits:** To J.K. Rowling for writing the books in the first place.

_"I guess we are going to have to expect the unexpected," Harry said amused. "Nothing unusual there."_

Just _un peu_ to late

Chapter 2

Expecting the unexpected

The school looked the same as always but as the small group approached Lily could not help the sinking feeling as she followed her son's friend up to the school that held the hospital wing in which she had visited James so many times during their 7th year as they learned to work together for the sake of their school. When Hermione had told her of why they were going she wanted to scream and cry at the same time. How could someone do that to her sister and her son?

Vernon would surely pay for the damage he had done to them, whether it be physical or whether it be mental. The topping on the cake was what Albus had done. Had he finally gone senile;was the first thought that popped into Lily's mind when she heard as to why Harry was at the Dursleys' in the first place. She didn't want to place Harry there because of Vernon not because of Petunia.

She had cut off contact with Petunia because of that whale of a husband she had. Sometimes Lily wondered if Vernon was a wizard because it always seemed like Petunia was in a trance whenever Lily came to visit. Lily wouldn't put it past Vernon to be prejudice to his own kind if he was a wizard but she also wouldn't put it past Albus to do something even more stupid, like making Petunia stay with Vernon for _the greater good._

She had had the blasted phrase thrown at her too many times to not know that there was a hidden agenda when it came to Albus. Not everything was done for the _greater good_ as Albus had on many occasions put it. Some, actually _many _times she had noticed that many things were done for the _greater good._ Lily suppressed a growl she felt coming on as she thought of the things that Albus had done in their presence and even more recently in their supposed absence.

Had Severus not contacted them when he had they would have immediately gone after Albus to find out the address of where Harry was staying. Those thoughts and plans forming in her mind had been thrashed when she read the letter. Lily knew deep down that something was coming and it was not Voldemort. The man was gone as Hermione had pointed out the other day when they asked her earlier. They had not been able to hide their shock of course making Hermione even more exasperated.

Apparently Voldemort had made many Horcruxes, 7 to be exact, one of them had been stuck in Harry but that had been destroyed in the Chamber of Secrets when Tom Riddle (aka Voldemort) tried to kill Harry with his own wand. It would have worked had Voldemort not left part of his soul in Harry which was what he ended up killing. Stupid Voldemort. Lily shook her head in amusement and looked toward Hermione who was yammering about something Lily knew she should be listening to.

"I wonder how Harry and Professor Snape are getting along," Hermione anxiously said as she peered at the gates as she approached hoping she could spot some sort of interaction between the two.

"I am sure they are getting along fine," Lily hummed as she gave Hermione a reassuring smile. Hermione did not notice because at that very moment she let out a loud shriek and ran towards Harry. After nearly mauling Harry she helped him up. Harry did not notice Hermione's guests as he only had eyes for her, which Hermione did not seem to notice. Severus had noticed them the second the gates were opened and was openly gaping at them. It wasn't until Severus was forced to clear his throat that Harry tore his eyes away from Hermione's all to cheerful face. Lily watched amused as all color drained out of his face when he noticed them.

"James, dear, I think he is confused. He seems to think that we aren't real. Whatever shall we do?" James gave her a what-do-you-think-you-are-doing-look but it seemed he was willing to play along much to Lily's horror when he responded.

"Why we sing of course," James said as cheerful as Hermione looked. Lily's face went from to amusement to pure horror.

"JAMES POTTER YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE," Lily screeched which caused Harry to break out laughing.

"That is definitely them," Harry said between his bits of laughter. Lily sharply turned and raised an eyebrow at Harry. "How would you know?" Harry exchanged a guilty look with Severus which Lily noticed. Lily crossed her arms and leveled a stare on Severus who withered under her gaze.

"He asked about memories of you and James," Severus said not quite meeting her gaze. "I gave him every memory I had." Severus shrugged helplessly. Harry grinned from behind Severus. Lily was about to open her mouth to say something when she heard a shriek from Hermione. Lily's eyes traveled to Hermione and it was then she noticed what Hermione was so horrified about. Harry's pale left arm displayed a rather large scar that appeared to once be a large gouge at one point.

On the other arm Lily was even more horrified. Several scars bunched together read the ever familiar word 'freak.' Vernon had once called her the name one time when Lily and James went to visit her parents and Petunia wasn't in the room. When James was through with him he could never look at them directly in their eyes again. Apparently he was stupid enough to call her son a 'freak.' Lily's hand snaked into James as she took in a deep breath to process what she has seen.

"This is not what I had expected," Lily muttered under her breath. Hermione nodded.

"I agree," Hermione answered.


	3. The Scar That Never Fade

**Rating:** K

**Category:** Harry Potter

**Pairings:** Lily/James, Hermione/Harry, Ginny/Neville, and Lavender/ Ron.

**Warnings: **Completely AU.

**Summary: **Nobody appears as they really are so when the dark mark appears over Hermione's house she realizes that her world crashed down long ago and she didn't know it.

**Credits:** To J.K. Rowling for writing the books in the first place.

"_This is not what I had expected," Lily muttered under her breath. Hermione nodded_

"_I agree," Hermione answered._

Just _un peu _to late

Chapter 3

The Scars that _NEVER_ Fade

_Flashback..._

"_Harry, you have to stay out of his way," Petunia rasped. Harry shook his head definitely as he added another bandage to her hand. Harry could see the blood seeping through._

"_No, you are family," Harry countered. "I am going to help you and if that means getting in his way, then so be it." _

"_Be careful," Petunia whispered as she felt her strength leaving her. Harry nodded, although it didn't matter if he was careful, his uncle would go after him anyway. As Harry wiped away a stray tear, his aunt disappeared with the emergency portkey he carried with him._

_End Flashback..._

_Flashback..._

"_Where is Harry," Severus asked when she appeared in his quarters. A tear streamed down her face instead of her responding. Instantly Severus jumped up and went over to the fireplace and called Poppy. Her face appeared. _

"_I need you to come through, Harry's aunt has come and I need to go after Harry, he is still there," Severus told Poppy. Poppy nodded and Severus stepped back, Poppy came through. Once he saw that Poppy was attending to Petunia, Severus left his quarters and went to Privet Drive #4._

_End Flashback..._

_Flashback..._

_Dear Professor Snape,_

_I am currently writing this letter as my uncle has finally left for work. After all it is best to keep up appearances, can't have anyone know that his perfect world isn't so perfect. I am writing this letter as my aunt is in bad shape. He went after her again. She says it has been happening since I left the previous summer. Dudley's disappearance is being blamed on my aunt and I. Most of the time he is drunk and is really horrible. Professor, please help us._

_Harry Potter, aka, Almoner_

_Severus stared at the letter in disbelief for a moment before he sprung into action. _

_End Flashback..._

Dudley looked around the room he had purchased. After saving up for years he had managed to get away from his family. He knew, no doubt in his mind, that his cousin and mother was paying for his disappearance. That was the very reason he had two jobs – he was working to get them out of there. Today would be the day that he would sneak them out of that house. Using a car he had fixed up he drove to the pristine neighborhood and stopped several houses away from his old house. He could see the police in front of the house and he wondered what had happened. He walked over to the nearest cop.

"What happened," Dudley asked the officer once he had gotten the man's attention. The officer raised an eyebrow.

"I can't tell you anything, son," the officer informed him Dudley blinked several times in shock – what had happened?

"My mother and cousin live in that house," Dudley informed the officer. "I have every right to know what happened in that house." The officer sighed and called over the lead detective.

"Come under the tape," the lead detective told him. Dudley ducked under the tape. He was glad that he had lost a lot of weight since he had left that horror filled house.

"What's your name," he asked as they went off to an area out of the way of the people coming in and out of the house.

"Dudley Dursley," Dudley answered honestly. The man nodded as though he had just had something confirmed.

"Do you know a Severus Snape," the officer asked. Dudley furrowed his eyebrows as he recalled his cousin talking about his teachers.

"He's a professor at my cousin's school," Dudley recalled. The answer seemed to relieve the officer and they walked into the house. The two headed over to a man who was being questioned by two police officers. He pointed to the man.

"Is that him," he asked. Dudley shifted through his memories- Harry had shown him a picture of the man.

"That's him," Dudley confirmed. "What's going on?"

"It seems that a Vernon Dursley attacked him when he went to retrieve your cousin's belongings," the officer informed him.Dudley's mouth went dry.

"Does he know where my cousin is," he asked. If the man was getting Harry's belongings and his father attacked him for doing so it meant that more was going on then it appeared to be.

"He says he is at the school with the nurse but we haven't been able to find anyone to confirm that as of yet," the officer informed him.

"I can," a voice behind them said. Dudley and the officer turned around. Dudley's eyes widened in shock. It was his Aunt Lily.


End file.
